Pauline Hanson is hopeful of her party’s chances in the seat of Farrer. Photo: Wikimedia commons.
Dumped Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley had barely finished telling media she was quitting parliament when One Nation leader Pauline Hanson announced her party would seek to take her seat.
Ms Ley’s resignation triggers a by-election, or a special early election, in her giant rural seat of Farrer, which is bigger in size than Ireland. The electorate includes Griffith, Albury, Leeton, Deniliquin and extends west as far as Wentworth on the South Australian border.
The Liberals, Nationals, One Nation and independents are likely to fight for the seat, which has been comfortably held by Ms Ley for 25 years.
“One Nation will be contesting the by-election in Farrer with a strong candidate that represents regional NSW, the rural sector, and someone who understands the issues of the Murray Darling and water,” Ms Hanson said.
“Our rural communities have long been forgotten by both major parties and are suffering at the hands of net zero, increased power prices, a lack of housing and services, immigration, and the decimation of prime agricultural land by city-centric policies.”
Support for One Nation has surged this past month, with a recent poll putting their nationwide support at 28 per cent – well ahead of both the Liberals and Nationals.
The party does not yet have a candidate for the seat, but put out a call for one via Facebook on Friday (13 February).
“Are you a local resident of the federal electorate of Farrer? One Nation will soon select a candidate for Farrer, and we are calling on strong, community-minded locals to step forward,” it said.
Helen Dalton MP, who holds the equivalent state seat of Murray, announced she was deciding whether or not to throw her hat in the ring.
“My mobile has been burning up since Sussan announced she was leaving politics,” Mrs Dalton said.
“I understand that the people of my region want their voices to be heard and whatever I decide to do, I will be doing it to make sure their voices are a lot louder.
“That might be in federal politics or it might be in state politics.
“This news is only a few hours old and I have some serious thinking to do.”
Mrs Dalton’s state seat basically covers all of Ms Ley’s seat except for Albury – which is its biggest population centre. If the Murray MP were to contest the seat, she would need to resign from NSW Parliament, triggering a by-election in her state seat.
Sussan Ley has held Farrer since 2001, when she took over the seat from National Party MP Tim Fischer. Election analyst Antony Green said the National Party and the Liberals would contest the by-election, setting up what could be a four- or even five-way battle for victory.
Anti-child abuse campaigner Michelle Milthorpe, who took 44 per cent of the two-party preferred vote as an independent at the 2023 election, has announced she will contest the seat again.
“For too long, the people of Farrer have been left wanting,” Mrs Milthorpe said.
“Party politics too often gets in the way of practical outcomes. Our communities deserve a reliable and relatable representative; someone who listens, understands our regional context, and is prepared to do the work in Canberra to make policy better reflect life in rural and regional Australia.”
It’s unknown whether Labor will stand a candidate for the seat in which they have never been competitive.
Ms Ley announced her resignation from parliament after she lost the Liberal Party leadership to Hume MP Angus Taylor on Friday. A date for the by-election has not yet been set.
